Chris Brown challenges million-dollar verdict

Chris Brown is seeking a new trial in a lawsuit filed against him by a former housekeeper after a dog attack.

The singer claims that the jury unfairly awarded him as much as $13 million in damages and that the decision was influenced by mention of his 2008 attack on pop star Rihanna.

Brown's lawyers filed a motion to overturn the June conviction of Maria Avila, who was seriously injured six years earlier when she was attacked by a 90-pound dog while cleaning Brown's house.

The motion, obtained by Billboard, alleges that the judge unfairly allowed Avila's attorney to ask Brown an "intrinsically inflammatory" question during cross-examination — whether he is a convicted felon.

Brown replied:

"Yes, ma'am," referring to his 2009 guilty plea for assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna.

"Mr. Brown's conduct in an unrelated domestic violence case from 17 years ago had no bearing on the plaintiff's alleged injuries, their cause, or the amount of damages," his lawyers said in their motion.

They argue that the mention of the case, as well as other decisions during the trial, led to an excessively high award of damages. Among them was the decision not to allow the jury to hear that Brown's security chief had given money to the Avila family after the incident.

Brown's lawyers believe the amount awarded "cannot reasonably be reconciled with the evidence of actual injuries and damages" presented at trial.

Avila's lawyers, meanwhile, are trying to collect the damages awarded. In a court filing last month, they asked that the money be paid out of Brown's earnings from his current stadium tour with Usher.